The Other Woman
by Memory Keeper
Summary: Callie Shaw meets Nancy Drew. 'She had known Frank forever and had never seen him look at another girl that way.’ One shot.


**The Other Woman**

Summary: Callie Shaw meets Nancy Drew. 'She had known Frank forever and had never seen him look at another girl that way.' One shot.

Disclaimer: Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys aren't mine. But I love them as though they were my own. :)

(V. long) Author's Notes: ***Clears throat nervously* Hi guys! This is my first fanfic about ND & HB. I grew up reading Nancy Drew and although I liked Ned Nickerson, they sometimes struck me as a boring, predictable couple. Then I discovered the SuperMysteries in the late 80's where Nancy introduced me to Frank Hardy in 'Double Crossing', and I've been trying to get them together ever since. ;) **

**One of my childhood frustrations that I never grew out of was the fact that their relationship was never resolved in the books. My copy of 'Secrets of the Nile' is so well-worn, the pages where Nancy and Frank shared romantic moments have already come unglued. **

**I discovered this site only a few weeks ago and have gotten hooked ever since. The talent pool of writers here amazes me. I want to thank the F/N authors who finally gave me what I had been looking for a long time ago: a happy ending for Nancy and Frank. It feels cathartic, like seeing a therapist or something. :)**

**Sorry for rambling… anyway, regarding this story. Sadly, I've never read a Hardy Boys mystery, so I don't really know Frank and Joe's friends in Bayport. I was especially curious about Callie Shaw and what she thought of Frank and Nancy's relationship. We've seen Ned acting jealous in several SuperMysteries, but apart from Frank mentioning Callie a few times (usually conveniently after sharing a kiss with Nancy, no less), I don't know who she is.**

**This is my take on Callie Shaw. I appreciate what you guys think. Happy reading! **

She knew this day was inevitable. She was only surprised it didn't happen sooner.

Callie had asked Frank to accompany her in New York during the weekend to pick out a dress for her cousin's upcoming wedding, as well as spend some quality time together after almost a month apart—Frank and Joe having been out of the country on a case, and her busy with college.

After several hours of trying on a multitude of formal wear at Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale's, Callie finally decided on a strapless pale pink number that ended a few inches below her knees and went well with her blonde hair. Stealing a sideways glance at her boyfriend as she paid for her dress at the counter, she was amused to see Frank's slightly glazed expression. "Are you okay?"

Frank blinked and returned her smile. "Yeah. I guess I just got overwhelmed back there. I lost count of the number of dresses you tried on," he teased her.

"Really? Funny, I don't recall hearing you complain while I had them on," she retorted with a laugh.

"What can I say? You look good in all of them," Frank said affectionately, draping an arm over her shoulder. Callie smiled up at him and swung the large paper bag over her arm.

Frank reached out and took the shopping bag from her. "C'mon, let's get out of here and grab a cup of coffee," he said with an audible sigh of relief.

They had just stepped out onto the bustling street when Callie suddenly gasped, "Oh, I forgot to buy shoes!" She barely heard her boyfriend groan as she started to turn around to head back into the store, when she felt Frank grasp her wrist and pull her back. "Hey, why don't we take a short break first?"

"But I'm not tired," she protested.

Frank inwardly sighed, envisioning the next few hours of watching his girlfriend try on pair after pair of high-heeled pumps and sandals. "I'm a little tired," he admitted sheepishly.

"How can you be tired already?" Callie asked. "You pretty much just sat outside the dressing room most of the time. Besides," her brown eyes narrowed, "Weren't you just telling me this morning that you chased after the guy who kidnapped Joe for three miles and you still had the energy to make a six-hour drive to the city to diffuse the bomb before it exploded?"

Frank was momentarily speechless. "That was different, Joe was in trouble. I was operating on adrenaline," he tried to explain, feeling a little hurt.

"And shopping with me, you're what? Operating on boredom?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.

Frank looked around the bustling street. People were starting to bump into them as they stood motionless in the middle of the fray. "Callie, please. Let's not get into another argument," he said quietly. "I'm just thirsty, that's all. I was incredibly thirsty while I was chasing the bad guys," he added with a slight smile, trying to make light of the situation. "I could've used a drink then."

Callie stared at him for a few more seconds before blowing out a breath that stirred her bangs. She finally broke into a smile and took his hand in hers. "Okay, sorry about that. Let's go."

They reached the entrance of a crowded coffee shop two blocks away when Frank's cell phone started to ring. He glanced at the LCD screen and told Callie, "I need to take this call, it's Joe. I'll be along in a few minutes." She nodded and entered the coffee shop, the cool air a refreshing contrast to the sweltering summer heat outside.

A few minutes later as she stood waiting in line, Callie happened to glance outside and caught sight of Frank talking to a girl whose back was facing her. From Callie's vantage point, all she could see was the girl's shoulder-length strawberry blonde hair glinting in the sun.

_Wonder who she is?_ She thought vaguely, starting to turn back to the line as it moved forward, when suddenly her gaze landed on Frank's face as he listened to what the girl was saying. Callie's heart suddenly rose to her throat as she took in his expression. Frank was smiling widely and his warm brown eyes were fixated on the redhead, oblivious to several people bumping into him. He didn't take his eyes off of her.

She had known Frank forever and she had never seen him look at another girl that way.

_No, it couldn't be,_ she thought, moving towards the door before she was aware of it. _Is that…_

Then she caught herself, chewing on her lip. She didn't want to barge in on them like a clichéd jealous girlfriend, demanding what was going on. Not that anything was going on, for Pete's sake, they were just _talking_ out on a street full of people, in broad daylight. It wasn't as if they were wrapped in each other's arms in a dark place somewhere, sharing a passionate, forbidden kiss…

Callie shook her head to get rid of that horrible image. _They're just talking,_ she repeated to herself firmly and went back to her place in the queue with an apologetic smile to the man who had been standing behind her.

Ten minutes later—although it had felt more like an hour to her—Callie emerged from the coffee shop bearing two caramel lattes. "Frank," she called out as she approached the couple. "I was waiting for you," she said lightly.

Frank and the girl turned at the sound of her voice. Callie noticed Frank's smile falter a little as he saw the expression on her face. She handed him his coffee wordlessly, turned her attention to the girl and found herself gazing into a pair of sparkling blue eyes.

"Callie, meet Nancy Drew," she heard Frank say as though from a distance. "Nancy, this is Callie Shaw."

Her heart, which had risen to her throat earlier, slowly sank to the pit of her stomach. So it _was_ her. The famous girl detective Frank unconsciously spoke of with admiration and fondness, with a strange, faraway look in his eyes. The girl he and Joe had spent so much time with working on cases around the world. Australia, Amsterdam, Paris, Tokyo. Egypt.

_She's gorgeous,_ Callie thought sourly.

"Callie, it's nice to finally meet you," Nancy said, smiling as she held out her hand. "I was just telling Frank how funny it is to run into him here on a normal Saturday afternoon."

"Normal?" Callie repeated in confusion as she shook Nancy's hand. She saw them exchange a quick look and felt her jaw tighten.

"No mysteries in sight," Frank explained, reading Nancy's mind. He cocked his head at her. "How'd your last case go?"

"It went well," Nancy grinned impishly. "We managed to capture the art thieves before they made off with the Renoir collection."

"That's great, Nan," Frank said warmly. "I'm glad."

"Speaking of great outcomes, I called Joe the other day to check up on him and he told me you diffused another bomb. Congratulations. So that makes it what, your twenty-seventh bomb?" They both laughed.

Callie watched them, smiling tightly. She couldn't believe how casually they were talking about disturbing events. Forget normal Saturday afternoons shopping in New York. This was the definition of normal for them, exchanging experiences with criminals and explosive devices.

"So, what brings you to New York, Nancy?" she asked.

Nancy tucked a strand of titian hair behind one ear. "I'm meeting up with my dad for dinner later. He just finished wrapping up a case here and he invited me to spend the weekend in New York."

"That's nice," Callie said. She noticed Frank still gazing at Nancy. "Well, we won't keep you any longer. It's been nice running in--"

Before she could finish her sentence, she was cut off by a shriek from a woman standing a few feet away. "My purse! That man stole my purse! Help me!"

Startled, they all whipped around in time to catch sight of a tall, solidly-built man running off with a large leather purse in jeans and a black baseball cap, rudely shoving his way through the crowd amidst protests and curses as he made his getaway.

Before Callie knew what was happening, Nancy had taken off after the mugger, in her blue sundress and white sandals, yelling indignantly, "Hey! Stop right there!"

_What is she _doing_? _Callie thought, eyes widening. _That guy is huge. She's crazy!_

"Nancy!" Frank called out in alarm, his brown eyes flashing in concern. He turned to Callie and pushed the coffee and shopping bag into her arms. "I'm sorry Callie, she needs me," he said, taking off after Nancy without waiting for her reply.

Callie could only blink, stunned as she watched his rapidly receding back. She wasn't sure whom he had meant, Nancy or the mugger's victim.

_He's crazy too…about her,_ she realized numbly. _I've known it all along but just refused to believe it._

She looked over at the woman who had been mugged. She was surrounded by a few people who were consoling her. Callie made her way over to them. "Are you okay?" she asked.

The woman, a brunette in her mid-forties, appeared shaken. "Yes, I just can't believe I was mugged! All my valuables were in that bag!"

"Don't worry," Callie said. "They'll catch the bad guy. They always do." All of a sudden, she felt exhausted. She excused herself and glanced down at Frank's untouched coffee cooling in her hand. She walked over to a nearby trashcan and tossed in his abandoned drink.

He wouldn't be needing it anymore, she knew. He won't be tired after the chase. He was feeling the adrenaline, and with Nancy beside him, maybe something more. Something Callie saw with her own eyes today.

Something he no longer felt for her, maybe for some time now, even if Frank was too much of a gentleman to admit it to himself, and to her.

Casting one last look in the direction Nancy and Frank had vanished into, Callie turned and began to walk slowly in the opposite direction, the shopping bag silently swinging in her hand, a pendulum swinging endlessly back and forth, from one direction to the other as she disappeared into the crowd.

**Hope to hear from you guys… thanks for reading! :)**** -MK**


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